Method and composition for improving milling products



Patented Mar. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD ANB COMPOSITION FOR IMPROV- ING MILLING PRODUCTS Frederic H. Penn, Dallas, Tex.

12 Claims.

My invention relates to the improvement of wheat flour and other milling products, including the baking and keeping qualities thereof, and more particularly has reference to a method 5 and composition for the simultaneous bleaching and ageing or maturing of flour and the like.

According to present commercial practice, flour is bleached and aged in separate stages of treatment. The initial treatment is accomplished 10 with gaseous nitrogen trichloride, which matures the flour. Nitrogen trichloride, in addition to being a maturing agent, also possesses bleaching properties, but, when used in suiiicient amount to obtain a complete commercial bleach, injures the quality of the flour. Therefore, the amount of nitrogen trichloride used is insuilicient to furnish a complete bleach and the necessary additional bleaching is obtained by a subsequent treatment with benzoyl peroxide, which has no 2 maturing properties and which also injures the quality of the flour if used in suflicient amount to obtain a complete bleach. While the lastmentioned step is relatively simple, the gas treaty ment is quite cumbersome, requiring special contacting apparatus and corrosion-resistant equipment and accurate control over the gas, which presents many hazards and difliculties in use.

It is an object of this invention to bleach and age flour and the like in a single operation and to provide a finely divided or powdered composition, which, when intimately mixed with the flour, functions to effect a simultaneous bleaching and maturing of the milling product The flour is thus improved in the two respects mentioned by the simple expedient of mixing the solid composition therewith and allowing suflicient time for the desired effects to take place.

A further objectof my invention is to overcome the above-mentioned injurious effect of a bleaching quantity of benzoyl peroxide and the other active organic peroxides having flour bleaching properties. Benz'oyl peroxide and the like, when used in suflicient amount to obtain 45 a complete bleach, materially reduces the loaf volume factor or baking strength of the flour. According to my invention, there is used with a bleaching quantity of the peroxide a salt of a hexonic acid having flour maturing properties 50 whereby to increase the loaf volume factor or baking strength of the flour and overcome the tendency of the bleaching quantity of peroxide to reduce these desirable qualities of the milling product. Additionally, I have found that the 55 bleaching quantity of active organic peroxide increases the maturing action of the hexonic acid salt over and above that obtained by the salt alone.

In my prior Patents Nos. 2,158,588 and 2,158,- 589, I have shown that simultaneous bleaching 5 and ageing of flour and the like can be obtained by means of a powdered mixture of'a bromate or iodate with an active organic peroxide, the latter seemingly functioning as an activator or accelerator for the solid bromates and iodates in their maturing of the dry milling product. According to the present invention, the bromates and iodates of my prior patents are replaced by alkali metal salts of hexonic acids derived from hexoses which similarly function with the active organic peroxides to bring about a simultaneous bleaching and ageing of flour and other milling products.

Accordingly, the solid bleaching and maturing composition of the present invention comprises a preformed mixture of an alkali metal salt of a hexonic acid and an active organic peroxide, "that is, an organic peroxide which is suillciently active in powdered form to effect at least a 90% flour bleach.

Potassium gluconate in powdered form is the preferred reagent for use with the active organic peroxide; sodium or potassium galactonate or mannonate are illustrative of other alkali metal salts of hexonic acids suitable for use in powdered form with the active organic peroxide.

As in my prior patents referred to, only certain organic peroxides are suificiently active to cooperate with alkali metal salts of hexonic acids to effect the simultaneous bleaching and matur- 5 ing, these being the aromatic and fatty acid peroxides which have sufficient activity in powderedforin to accomplish at least a 90% bleach. Benzoyl peroxide is the preferred aromatic peroxide, while cinnamoyl peroxide and phenyl 40 acetyl peroxide are other aromatic peroxides which I have found to be of sufficient activity and flour bleaching power for use with potassium gluconate and the like, in accordance with the invention. Suitable active fatty acid peroxides of sufficient bleaching power for my purpose are stearyl peroxide, lauryi peroxide and palmitic acid peroxide. These aromatic and fatty acid peroxides function with the finely divided or powdered alkali metal salts of hexonic acids to bring about a commercially satisfactory maturing and bleaching of dry flour. I believe that I am the first to discover that the active aromatic and fatty acid peroxides possess the property of tion of about one-half ounce to 196 pounds of flour. For thorough distribution of such small amounts of the composition in the flour, the composition should be in the form of a dry freeflowing finely divided powder. A satisfactory bleaching and ageing is obtained by exposure of the flour to the action of the composition for about twenty-four hours.

As illustrative of the preparation of a preferred composition, dry powdered commercial grade dicalcium phosphate or other suitable carrier is added to an equal weight of dry commercial grade granular benzoyl peroxide and the mixture ground to the desired fineness. With the powder thus obtained, there is now mixed dry powdered potassium gluconate in the proportion of nine parts potassium gluconate to ninety parts of the peroxide-phosphate mixture. The resultant mixture is then ready for use as a flour bleaching and ageing composition in the manner already described.

Since there are many grades of flour, the proportions of peroxide, potassium glucona'te and carrier, as well as the amount of the composition required for effective bleaching and maturing, should be determined by tests in particular cases. The proportions here stated are by weight.

The compositions of this invention improve the color and baking qualities of the flour. Loaf volume is one of the most important, if not the most important, indication for determining the value of the baking qualities of the flour. The volume of the baked loaf of bread is measured in cubic centimeters and denotes the exact size of the loaf produced. Small volume, as obtained with untreated or unmatured flour, indicates low bakin-g strength, while large volume indicates high baking strength, which is apparently brought about by the maturing of the flour.

Illustrative of the advantages and efiectiveness of my compositions, a fresh milled hard wheat bakers flour was treated so that the tests corresponded to the use of one-half ounce of the composition to one barrel (196 lbs.) flour. The proportions of benzoyl peroxide and potassium glucon-ate, when used alone in the tests. corresponded to the amount used in the one-half ounce composition for treating one barrel (196 lbs.) of flour. 'I he untreated flour yielded a, loaf volume of 706 c. c. Benzoyl perodixe treated flour yielded a loaf volume of 685 c. c. Potassium gluconate treated flour yielded a loaf volume of 739 c. c., an increase of 33 c. c. more than is obtained with untreated flour. When treated with the benzoyll peroxide-potassium gluconate composition of this invention, the flour yielded a loaf volume of 765 c. c., an increase of 59 c. c.more than untreated flour and 26 c. c. more than is obtained with potassium gluconate treated flour;

According to the tests, benzoyl peroxide, when used alone and in suflicient quantity for a complete bleach of the flour, reduces the loaf volume. Potassium gluconate when used alone matures the flour somewhat but not to as great an extent as when mixed with the peroxide, and it does not have any bleaching effect. When benzoy-l peroxide and-potassium gluconate in combination are incorporated into the dry flour during the milling process, a complete bleach and color removal is obtained. with an increase in loaf volume which is in excess of the volume obtained when either potassium gluconate or benzoyl peroxide is used alone;

In the appended claims I have characterized the peroxides as active and as having substantial flour bleaching properties in order to distinguish from those organic peroxides which are of insuiiiclent activity and bleaching power to effect a commercial bleach. By substantial flour bleaching properties" is meant the ability to bleach flour satisfactorily for commercial purposes, that is, to eflect 8J1; least a bleach. The term alkinous metal" is used in the appended claims in its generic sense, that is, as inclusive of the alkali metals and alkaline earth metals.

Having described my invention, 1 claim:

'1. A method for improving wheat flour and other milling products which comprises intimately mixing with the dry milling product a powdered alkinous metal salt of a hexonic acid and a powdered active organic peroxide having substantial flour bleaching properties, the peroxide being in suflicien't amount to bleach the milling product and said salt being in sufficient amount to increase the loaf volume factor of the millin product, and subjecting the milling product in dry form to the simultaneous action of said salt and peroxide for a sufllcient time to bleach and mature the product.

2. A method for improving wheat flour and other mil-ling products which comprises intimately mixing with the dry milling product a powdered alkalinous metal salt of a hexonic acid and a powdered active aromatic peroxide having substantial flour bleaching properties, the peroxide being in sufllcient amount to bleach the milling product and said salt being in suflicient amount to increase the loaf volume factor of the milling product, and subjectmg the milling product in dry form to the simultaneous action of said salt and peroxide for a suiflcient time to bleach and mature the product.

3. A method for improving wheat flour and other milling products which comprises intimately mixing powdered benzoyl peroxide and a powdered alkalinous metal salt of a hexonic acid with the dry milling product, the peroxide being in sufllcient amount to bleach the milling product and said salt being in sufficient amount to increase the loaf volume factor of the milling product, and subjecting the latter in dry form to the simultaneous action of the peroxide and said salt for a sufilcient time to bleach and mature the milling product.

4. A method for improving wheat flour and' other milling products which comprises intimately mixing powdered benzoyl peroxide and potassium gluconate with the dry milling product, the peroxide being. in suflicient amount to bleach the milling product and the gluconate being in sumcient amount to increase .the loaf volume factor of the milling product, and subjecting the latter in dry form to the simultaneous action of the peroxide and potassium gluoonate for a sufficient time to bleach and mature the milling prodnet.

5. A method for improving wheat flour and other milling products which comprises in timately mixing powdered benzoyl peroxide and potassium galactonate with the dry milling product. the peroxide being in sufllcient amount to bleach the milling product and said potassium galactonate being in such amount to increase the loaf volume factor of the milling product, and subjecting the latter in dryjiorm to the simultaneous action of the peroxide and said potassium galactonate for a suflicienttime to bleach and mature the milling product.

6. A method for improving wheat flour and other milling products which comprises intimately mixing powdered benzoyl peroxide and potassium mannonate with the dry milling product, the peroxide being in such amount to bleach the milling product and the mannonate being in sufficient amount to increase the loaf volume factor of the milling product, and subjecting the latter in dry form to the simultaneous action 01. the peroxide and potassium mannonate for a suflicient time to bleach and mature the'milling product.

7. A flour bleaching and maturing composition comprising a dry free-flowing powdered mixture of an active organic peroxide having substantial flour bleaching properties, and a sumcient quantity of an alkalinous metal salt of a hexonicacid to overcome the loaf volume reducing factor of the peroxide.

8. A flour bleaching and maturing composition comprising a dry free-flowing powdered mixture 7 of an active aromatic peroxide having substantial flour bleaching properties and a suillcient quantity of an alkalinous metal salt of a hexonic acid to overcome the loaf volume reducing factor of the peroxide.

9. A flour bleaching and maturing composition comprising a dry free-flowing powdered mixture of benzoyl peroxide and a suiiicient quantity of an alkalinous metal salt of a hexonic acid to overcome the loaf volume reducing factor of the peroxide.

10. A flour bleaching and maturing composition comprising a dry free-flowing powdered mixture of benzoyl peroxide and a suflicient quantity of potassium gluconate to overcome the loaf volume reducing factor of benzoyl peroxide.-

11. A flour bleaching and maturing composition comprising a dry free-flowing powdered mixture of benzoyl peroxide and a sufiicient quantity of potassium galactonate to overcome the loaf volume reducing factor of the benzoyl peroxide.

12. A flour bleaching and maturing composition comprising a dry free-flowing powdered mixture of benzoyl peroxide and a sufiicient quantity of potassium mannonate to overcome the loaf volume reducing factor of the benzoyl peroxide.

FREDERIC H. PENN.

CERTIFICA'IE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,256,522. March 25,19b1.

- FREDERIC H. PENN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed spec:1.ii :at:1.on' ofthe above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, 35, 0nd column, line 16, and line 214., claiml, for"alkinous" reed --alk'elinou's and that the eaid Letters Patent shouldbe read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent office. Signed and sealed this 5th day of August, A. 1;. 191m.

- Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

